The heart of any good camp is the camp fire and that will always be true of the Steam Tent Co-op encampments as well.

A few years ago I used to equip and run a 14th century cooking fire for a group called the Berkley Household. I still have much of that equipment in store and all it needs is a fire rig big enough to use it on.

I am no great carpenter but I decided this was safely within my capabilities so set about the job with gusto.

The rig we used to use was just lashed together with rustic poles but I wanted something a little more splendid than that and of course, it wouldn’t really be Steampunk if it didn’t have a bit of brass on it.

Most hooks are too small to go directly around a piece of wood strong enough to bear the amount of weight that can be needed when cooking for a large group.

For this reason a steel bar is suspended under the main frame to hook onto and this also allows pot hangers to be moved along the bar to regulate the heat.

Chimney cranes then give adjustable height for hanging pots over the fire allowing for very accurate control of the cooking heat.

For roasting meat, a clockwork Bottle Jack turns a joint first one way then the other over a dripping pan by the side of the fire.

No reason that cooking over a fire needs to be unsophisticated. Modern stoves are the Johnny come lately to kitchen life. Iron skillets, bakestones and griddles can all be used this way as well and over the years I have seen some extraordinary banquets prepared over an open fire.